Timothy Hunt

Going the Distance

By Janine S. Creager

August 10, 2009

Timothy Hunt doesn’t let fear stand in his way. Whether finding himself in the middle of riots in Pakistan, or arriving in Thailand at 1 a.m. with no hotel room and no ability to communicate in the local language, Hunt has made it a point to do whatever it takes to accomplish the task at hand. “We all have fears of the unknown,” he says. “When it comes to being an entrepreneur, not having fear is good.”
Hunt has applied that courage in his most recent endeavor, Go Natural CNG (Compressed Natural Gas), which he launched earlier this year and leads as president. The company, which converts regular gas engines to natural gas, provides a one-stop service. No running from vendor to vendor to complete the conversion process. While some of his customers are individuals, including Governor Jon Huntsman, most of his customers are company fleets.
Before starting Go Natural CNG, Hunt worked for the LDS Church’s translation department, where many of his overseas adventures took place. Later, he was the general manager of North America for Certiport, the sole provider of Microsoft Office and Adobe certification exams worldwide, as well as the founder and chairman of the board of Lingotek, a software development company.
“When you’ve been in a lot of different situations [you have to believe] ‘I can do that’,” says Hunt. “[These are] opportunities to stretch oneself and to do more than you think you can.”
Although Hunt has traveled to more than 45 countries throughout the world, he grew up in the small town of Stanfield, Oregon. His first job was working in the local fields during harvest time, and because no one in his family had gone to college, he doubted that higher education was in his future. But he did well in school, and pursued higher education. Serving an LDS mission in Utah exposed him to more than 32 languages, including Vietnamese, as he worked with immigrants from several nations. He also learned Mandarin Chinese while a tactical intelligence officer in the military.
In his spare time, Hunt enjoys golf, though he admits, he’s “not very good at it.” He also loves riding his Harley. And while the motorcycle does not run on natural gas, at 50 miles per gallon, he’s not too concerned. He and his wife are the parents of 12 children, 10 of which are still at home. The family used to get around in a 15-passenger van, but now the family travels more comfortably, and peacefully, in two separate vehicles.
With natural gas prices hovering just under $1 per gallon, and regular gas prices on the rise, the future of Go Natural CNG seems bright. Utah currently has 25 public natural gas fuel stations with another 10 expected in the coming year. Nationwide, there are 1,100 stations.
“We’re still not on every corner,” says Hunt who admits that Americans as a whole are still more swayed by convenience than price. But, he adds optimistically, “We’re changing that attitude. We see great opportunities.”